1993 Australian Grand Prix
7 November |number = 548 |officialname = LVIII Foster's Australian Grand Prix |circuit = Adelaide Street Circuit |location = Adelaide, South Australia |circuittype = Temporary street circuit |lapdistance = 3.780 |laps = 79 |distance = 298.620 |scheduledlaps = 81 |pole = Ayrton Senna |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:13.371 |fastestlap = 1:15.381 |fastestlapdriver = Damon Hill |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 64 |winner = Ayrton Senna |winnernation = BRA-1968 |winnerteam = |second = Alain Prost |secondnation = FRA |secondteam = |third = Damon Hill |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The 1993 Australian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LVIII Foster's Australian Grand Prix, was the sixteenth and final round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Adelaide Street Circuit in Adelaide, South Australia, on the 7 November 1993.'Australian GP, 1993', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr548.html, (Accessed 31/07/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim the 41st and final victory of his career, battling one final time with arch-rival Alain Prost prior to the Frenchman's retirement. Pre-race news surrounded deals for the season, with officially rejoining F1 as an engine supplier, having developed 's engines in 1993. Elsewhere, a new team named Simtek made their official launch, signing David Brabham as their lead driver, while re-signed with for another season. Qualifying would see Senna produce a vintage performance in his final run-out for , sweeping to pole position ahead of Prost. That brought an end to an incredible 24 race run of poles for , and was only the second time that a non-Williams driver had sat on pole since the 1992 South African Grand Prix. There would be three attempts to start the race, with first Ukyo Katayama and then Eddie Irvine stalling on the grid, and were hence sent to the back. At the third time of asking the race finally got underway, with Senna sprinting ahead of Prost into the first corner. Michael Schumacher would, however, be the man to watch in the early stages of the race, with the German throwing his Benetton around behind Damon Hill in third. The pay-off would be a very early stop for the German, who swept into the pits on lap fifteen, although his aggressive strategy would be ruined a few laps later by an engine failure. Out front, meanwhile, Prost was able to shadow the race leading Senna, and duly inherited the lead when the Brazilian stopped on lap 24. However, a slow stop for the Frenchman a few laps later would gift Senna a huge lead, with the Brazilian able to build a even bigger lead during their second stint. Indeed, Senna would manage to pit without losing the lead on lap 55, while Prost slipped back into the sights of teammate Hill. They duly engaged each other in a half-hearted duel in the closing stages, only for Hill to throw a lunge at the Frenchman and send himself spinning. With that the season was over, with Senna cruising home ahead of his nemesis Prost, while Hill recovered to third. A heartwarming moment on the podium followed, with Senna inviting Prost onto the top step of the podium, with the pair ending their rivalry on what was the final day of Prost's racing career. Background Alain Prost moved even further ahead in the Championship having already secured the crown, leaving Japan with 93 points to his name. His teammate Damon Hill had retained second, although the Brit headed into the finale in Australia just two ahead of race winner Ayrton Senna. Those two would therefore duel for second at the finale, with Michael Schumacher too far back to challenge in fourth. In the Constructors Championship had once again shown why they had been the team to beat in , moving onto 158 points for the campaign. , meanwhile, had moved back into second, heading into the finale with a two point advantage over . They would be in a private duel to be runner-up in Australia, with and set to fight for fourth instead. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Alboreto and Badoer's entries were withdrawn after and BMS Scuderia Italia left F1. Grid ** Katayama and Irvine would start from the back of the grid after stalling on the grid. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Patrese and Wendlinger were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 256th and final Grand Prix start for Riccardo Patrese.'16. Australia 1993', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1993/australie.aspx, (Accessed 31/07/2019) ** His record for most starts would last until Rubens Barrichello started his 257th race at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. * Alain Prost started his 199th and final race. * 50th Grand Prix for as an engine supplier. * 50th entry for Johnny Herbert.'1993 Australian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1993&gp=Australian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 31/07/2019) * 41st and final victory for Ayrton Senna. ** This was also Senna's 80th and final podium finish. * claimed a record 104th victory as a constructor. ** secured their 166th win as an engine supplier. * Prost claimed his 106th and final podium. ** His record for most podium finishes would stand until Michael Schumacher secured his 107th podium at the 2002 British Grand Prix. * Damon Hill claimed his tenth podium finish. Standings With that the FIA Formula One World Championship came to an end, with Alain Prost officially declared as the Champion with 99 points. Ayrton Senna would finish runner-up to his former rival on 73 points, having jumped ahead of Damon Hill on the final day. The Brit himself would end the campaign in third, having scored 69 points, while Michael Schumacher and Riccardo Patrese completing the top five. In the Constructors Championship it had been a season of dominance for , who rounded out the season on a crushing tally of 168 points, meaning they had scored an average of 10.5 points at every race. were best of the rest, ending the campaign on 84 points, while finished third with 72 points. , meanwhile, would finish the season in a distant fourth, while completed the final top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1993 Grands Prix Category:Australian Grand Prix